Recapping first full week in Italy, our group took a day trip to Venice. Stepping out of the train station, we could see why it was called the floating city: it’s a city entirely connected by canals and boats. It was an overcast for part of day, and it sprinkled a few times during the walking tour, but that couldn’t stop some of us from going on a gondola ride during our free time! Our guide was mostly silent, only speaking up when he wanted to point out an interesting landmark you may not see on the beaten path (“You know Marco Polo? He lived there.”)

Venice was a beautiful city to visit, with tons of little hole-in-the-wall stores and restaurants to pop into when you needed a break from dock workers yelling “Attenzione!” to warn you they were coming through, regardless if you’re walking there or not. These dock workers are the city’s main way of getting merchandise and orders from the canal to their destination, since Venice doesn’t allow cars, trucks, bicycles, or motorbikes in their city!

Arrivederci!